Three-point fire-door bolt.



J. H. STEWART.

THREE-POINT FIRE noon BOLT.

- APPLIGAT ION FILED SEPT. 25, 1913. 1,097,372.

Patented May 19, 1914.

wi'we amo %J UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THREE-POINT FIRE-DOOR BOLT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1914.-

Application filed September 25, 1913. Serial No. 791,714.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN H. STEWART, a subject of King George V, and resident of Jamaica, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Three-Point Fire-Door Bolts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means of quick release for the bolts of exit or fire doors, and my improvements have particular relation to means whereby a plurality of bolts may be shot and retracted simultaneously in each act, together with means whereby the unlocking operation is performed by the more pressing against the door of persons seeking an 'eXit.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is an elevation of a door equipped with my improvements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail rear edge view of the same, partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a corresponding partial elevation showing more clearly the operating mechanism; and Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line &l of Fig. 1.

As is well known the character of exit or fire doors with release devices for the bolts thereof require means whereby a person or a number of persons crowding against the door from the inside, in the effort to escape, may by the mere fact of their pressure being applied to the door, cause the same to be automatically opened.

My improvement relates to that class of bolting devices wherein the side latch is adapted to work in conjunction with the upper and lower bolts, and whereby all three locking devices may be retracted by a single movement of an actuating device.

To permit of a proper comprehension of the subject at issue, and to explain the con struction of the device, I have shown in the drawing a door, as a, having the latch bolt 6 in the side thereof, with the spindle o. The spindle is broken away at one end, which may be at the outer side of the door where the door knob may be provided, and this spindle, at its opposite end, is elongated and carries a pinion c, and a bevel gear 0 Mounted upon the interior surface of the door is a frame (Z, inclosing the pinion and gear aforesaid, said frame having a lug (1 extending therefrom, serving as a pivotal bearing for an arm (Z whose inner end (Z is in form of a rack segment, which is in mesh with the gear 0 Obviously the movement of the pivotal arm 03 will cause the rack (Z to turn the gear 0 and with it to turn the pinion o and spindle 0. Thus, according to the direction of the movement of the arm (P, so will the latch bolt 6 be moved outwardly or inwardly. Naturally, where the latch bolt 1) is in the character of a spring catch, said catch will be normally held outwardly and returned to the outward position by the spring action.

For engagement above and below the door, I provide the bolts 6 and f. The bolt 6 passes through the frame cl and bears rack teeth which are in mesh with the pinion 0. Therefore said bolt moves in and out in synohronism with the latch bolt 6.

The bolt 6 engages below the door in anorifice 9 formed in a sill plate 9, said bolt- 6 having a beveled end 6 which permits it to easily travel up a forward incline 9 upon plate 9. In this manner the closing of the door is facilitated, as the bolt, which is held downwardly by gravity, in the closing of the door rides up upon the incline g and falls by gravity into the hole 9 when the door has reached its closed position and the bolt is thus in alinement with said hole. The upper bolt f is mounted in a frame it, and has a rack f in mesh with a pinion i, which pinion also meshes with a rack 6 upon the upper end of bolt 0, said pinion i lying between the racks f and e and thus serving to communicate the movement of bolt (2, in the reverse direction, to bolt f. It will therefore be apparent that as the bolt 6 is retracted, the bolt f will also be retracted, and similarly as the bolt 6 moves outwardly by gravity, the bolt f is at the same time also moved outwardly.

- Where the latch bolt 6 is held outwardly by spring means, then the tension of that spring cooperates with the gravity force of bolt 6 in causing all the bolts to be held outward under normal conditions, but where the latch bolt 5 is without tension, then the gravity force of the bolt 6 is relied upon to move all three locks normally outward, unless their manual actuation be resorted to. An arm j corresponding to the arm (Z and pivotally mounted in a support It in the horizontal plane of arm (Z at the opposite side of the door may be provided, and a bar as Z may connect said arms 0Z j, said bar lying across the surface of the door at a sufficient distance therefrom, and at a suitable elevation to be capable of manipulation. Said bar may be grasped by the hand and pressed inwardly, thereby actuating the arm (Z and the latch bolt and bolt mechanism as described, or said bar, upon receiving the impact of a person or persons crowding against the door will thereby automatically cause the bolts and latch bolt to be released and the door thus to open. An additional guide, as on, may be provided for the bolt 6, said guide being secured to the door, as seen. Obviously the bolts are not limited to operation vertically above and below the door but may be employed as horizontal bolts under a suitable arrangement of the operating mechanism described herein.

I claim:

l. A three point release locking device for eXit or fire doors, comprising a latch bolt at one side of the door, a lower bolt having a rack, a spindle for said latch bolt having a gear meshed with said rack, an upper bolt, means operating said upper bolt reversely with the operation of said lower bolt, guides fol-said bolts, a movable impact receiving member extending from the inner surface of the door, and means between said impact receiving member and said gear to actuate the latter by the former.

2. A three point release locking device for exit or fire doors, comprising a latch bolt at one side of the door, a vertical, lower bolt having a rack, a spindle for said bolt having a gear meshed with said rack, a vertical upper bolt, means operating said upper bolt reversely with the operation of said lower bolt, guides for said bolts, a beveled gear on said spindle, said gear being of smaller diameter than said pinion, a pivotal segmental rack in mesh with said gear, and a movable, impact receiving member extending from said segmental rack to actuate the latter.

3. A three point release locking device for exit or fire doors, comprising a latch bolt at one side of the door, a vertical, lower bolt having a rack, a spindle for said bolt having a gear meshed with said rack, a vertical upper bolt in parallelism with said lower bolt, said lower and upper bolts having opposed racks, a pinion meshed with said opposed racks, to communicate the motion of said lower bolt reversely to said upper bolt, guides for said bolts, a beveled gear on said spindle, said gear being of smaller diameter than the pinion on the spindle, a pivotal segmental rack in mesh with said gear, and an impact receiving member extending downwardly and away from said segmental rack, to actuate the latter.

, Signed at the borough of Manhattan in the city, county and State of New York this 22nd day of July A. D. 1913.

JOHN H. STEXVART.

"Witnesses FRANK W. HARRIS, SADIE L. BLOCK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

